On Saturday afternoon, Ruan Bei handed in his English exam paper early and left the exam room. It was only a little past four o'clock when he walked out of the school gate.
There was no evening self-study session on Saturday night. Ruan Bei told Wang Bufan in advance that he didn't need to tutor him tonight, and Wang Bufan seemed quite disappointed.
Senior high school students take exams every day. In addition to the first, second, and third mock exams, there are other small tests every day. Moreover, they only have a half-day off on Sunday afternoons to give boarding students time to get a haircut or buy some daily necessities.
As for why Qin Gu, a senior high school student, had weekends off with Ruan Bei, the teachers probably thought that not having classes on weekends was much better than taking two or three months off.
In any case, this batch of senior high school students will be leaving in less than two months. As long as he takes the college entrance examination safely, no other teacher cares.
Ruan Bei finished the exam early without telling Qin Gu. He figured Qin Gu was still in class. Ruan Bei calculated the time and decided to sit at a milk tea shop near the school to do a practice test and wait for Qin Gu to go home together.
It was during class time, so the milk tea shop wasn't very busy. Ruan Bei casually ordered a drink, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and found a small table in the corner to sit down.
Perhaps influenced by Wang Bufan, Ruan Bei actually felt a bit of joy in doing practice problems, because he no longer experienced the situation where he couldn't figure out the solution no matter what, or even understood only half of the answer. Now, he felt a sense of accomplishment every time he finished a test paper.
After the milk tea was made, the shop's staff saw him doing his homework, but didn't call him. They simply brought the milk tea over and placed it on his table before quietly leaving.
After finishing half a test paper in one go, Ruan Bei looked at her watch and realized it was past five o'clock. Kun Kun should be getting out of class by now, so she quickly called him and told him her location.
Qin Gu told him on the phone to wait where he was, and that he would be there soon.
Ruan Bei packed his things, put his backpack back on, and, carrying his milk tea, ordered a kumquat lemon tea for Kun Kun—he didn't like milk tea, finding it too sweet.
While the shop assistant was making lemonade, Ruan Bei was drinking his milk tea through a straw, his cheeks puffing out, which suddenly made him look a bit more childish.
The young shop assistant glanced at him, made conversation with him, and complimented him on the unusual and beautiful pendant hanging on his backpack.
Ruan Bei turned to look at his schoolbag, on which hung the Five Emperors Coins that he and Kun Kun had braided together, tied with a red string. Ruan Bei was quick-witted and skillful, and after only one or two tries, he had braided them quite well.
He and Kunkun each made a string of two sets of Five Emperors Coins. He originally wanted to tell Kunkun that these two strings were for his parents to use first, and that he would find more when he was on vacation to make a string for each member of his family.
But Kunkun said that magical artifacts need to be nurtured. The Five Emperors Coins, a magical artifact that accumulates human energy, cannot be separated from people. It is especially effective for people in the Xuanmen sect to carry them with them. So he and his father each took a string and gave them to his parents after they had been nurtured enough.
Ruan Bei thought he wasn't really one, since he hadn't learned anything yet, but Kun Kun said he had the ability to see ghosts and was considered half a member of the Xuanmen sect, so Ruan Bei believed him.
Kunkun took the string he made, saying it was pretty. Ruanbei's string was made by Kunkun, and it was indeed not as pretty as his.
Kunkun is good at drawing talismans, but her handicrafts seem to be not so good.
Since the Five Emperors Coins had to be carried with him at all times, Ruan Bei thought it over and over and decided that hanging them around his neck was not appropriate, given how long the string of coins was.
It wouldn't work on the belt either. School uniform pants are athletic pants, and I've never seen athletic pants with pendants. That would be weird.
In the end, they could only hang it on their schoolbags. Many girls at their school like to hang small dolls or pendants on their schoolbags.
Ruan Bei thought, it shouldn't be too strange for him to hang up a Five Emperors Coin, right?
The shop assistant complimented his Five Emperors Coins, making Ruan Bei a little happy. He had chosen the coins, and Kun Kun had made the knot; it was the result of their collaborative work.
So he smiled modestly and told the shop assistant who was asking where he bought it, "My friend made this for me."
The shop assistant glanced at the copper coin pendant strung together with red string and gave a knowing smile: "It's a pair, isn't it?"
"How did you know?" Ruan Bei asked in surprise, "That one was indeed made up by me."
The shop assistant smiled intriguedly: "You students really know how to come up with ideas."
She should get a unique matching pendant and openly show off her love. If she had thought of this when she was in school, she wouldn't still be single now.
Ruan Bei: "..."
Even though you're smiling, I feel like there's something off about that smile.
As the customer entered, a clear, slightly childish voice rang out: "Two lemonades, please... Brother?!"
Ruan Bei's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously turned his head to see Song Jiaxi looking at him with a look of surprise and delight.
"Brother, what a coincidence! I was just about to buy water and wait for you at the school gate."
Ruan Bei: "..." He shouldn't have waited for Kun Kun here. There are so many shops near the school gate, why did he choose this one?
But how did he find us so quickly? Last time we clearly fooled him and got away.
He didn't speak or show any joy. Song Jiaxi's smile froze for a moment, then she thought of something, quickly took off her backpack, and pulled out a piece of paper for him.
"Brother, I got fifth place in my class in the midterm exam. I improved, really! Look, I got the highest score in math in our class."
Oh, right. In April, all schools are preparing for their mid-term exams. Song Jiaxi's school probably took the exams a little earlier, and the results are already out.
Although he still felt annoyed by Song Jiaxi, to be honest, Ruan Bei didn't have a deep hatred for him. A brainless, mindless, and manipulative little madman was no different from a knife.
Lu Sibai used this useful "knife" to stab him; he hated Lu Sibai.
Of course, he didn't like Song Jiaxi, let alone reconcile with him. He knew that nothing had happened and that Song Jiaxi was innocent, but that didn't stop him from disliking or hating him.
He couldn't understand why Song Jiaxi was clinging to him, even fawning over him in every way. He didn't like Song Jiaxi treating him like this, and it even reminded him of his relationship with Lu Sibai in his previous life.
However, Song Jiaxi and Lu Sibai didn't seem very close. He was like a silent lone wolf with a sinister and lonely look in his eyes. He quietly followed behind Lu Sibai and rushed over to bite Ruan Bei after Lu Sibai gave him a verbal hint.
He seems to have an animalistic nature in his bones, and he doesn't consider right or wrong, or weigh the pros and cons.
When Lu Sibai's other admirers bullied Ruan Bei, they would still consider his status and secretly manipulate public opinion. Only Song Jiaxi was like a madwoman, trying to destroy Ruan Bei.
The current Song Jiaxi is quite different from the one two years later, but his obsessiveness remains unchanged.
Ruan Bei silently accepted the report card.
He owed Song Jiaxi nothing, disliked him, and didn't want to meet, talk, or communicate with him, but he also didn't want this little madman to bare his fangs at him again.
He did nothing in this life, so Ruan Bei wouldn't do anything to the still innocent Song Jiaxi. But if he were to side with Lu Sibai again this time and try to do something to him, he vowed that he would take revenge, including what happened in his previous life. He was no longer the isolated, weak, and helpless Ruan Bei of his previous life.
The slender white fingers snatched the report card away, and Song Jiaxi's tense expression relaxed, immediately breaking into a happy smile.
"Not bad, keep it up." Ruan Bei's tone was flat and calm, his eyes indifferent as if he were looking at a roadside stone.
But Song Jiaxi didn't mind at all; his brother had praised him!
His efforts paid off. If he can do even better next time, his brother will definitely say more to him!
"I have something to do, I'll be going now." Ruan Bei handed the report card back to him and walked towards the door.
"Brother, wait for me." Song Jiaxi subconsciously chased after him, but Ruan Bei ignored him and walked forward with great strides, even quickening his pace.
Then he bumped into a guest who came in through the sliding door.
"Ugh..." Ruan Bei was knocked backward by the impact.
"Brother!" Song Jiaxi exclaimed in surprise, rushing forward to help him, but she missed.
Qin Gu grabbed Ruan Bei's arm and pulled him into his arms, laughing as he said, "Throwing yourself into my arms? So enthusiastic."
The moment Ruan Bei heard that familiar voice, the annoyance she felt from seeing Song Jiaxi vanished. She unconsciously curled up her lips and playfully punched him on the shoulder: "Get lost."
"Let me see if you hurt yourself." Qin Gu pinched his chin and examined him carefully.
"It doesn't hurt." Ruan Bei turned her face away, trying to avoid it. This position was too intimate in public.
Qin Gu joked, "Luckily, my little Bei wasn't damaged, otherwise I would have been guilty of a thousand deaths."
Ruan Bei rolled her eyes, not wanting to talk to him, and tugged at his sleeve, preparing to leave: "You're so slow. I wanted to go to the fruit shop to buy some fruit. I should have known better than to wait for you."
"I'm leaving now, don't be angry, I'll treat you to milk tea."
When milk tea was mentioned, Ruan Bei paused for a moment and stopped walking.
The shop assistant, who hadn't dared to speak until now, whispered, "I was just about to call you. Your kumquat lemon drink is ready."
Qin Gu consciously went over and took the water. The clerk pointed to the milk tea that was still more than half full on the counter and said, "This cup is also yours, would you like it?"
Just now, Ruan Bei received Song Jiaxi's report card and casually placed the milk tea on the counter next to him.
Qin Gu reached out and touched it; it was cold. He said, "No, make another one just like that."
"Yes, we don't need to do it anymore."
Ruan Bei glared at him: "Aren't you going to waste your time? I've only had a few sips."
"It's getting cold..."
"Your lemonade is cold too."
Ruan Bei picked up the milk tea and took a big sip, biting on a pearl and mumbling, "You should be glad I forgot to take it, otherwise this whole cup would have spilled all over you."
This refers to the incident where the two of them bumped into each other.
Qin Gu wasn't going to be at a disadvantage: "Then you wash it for me."
"Dream on!" Ruan Bei retorted, then laughed as he spoke, feeling like a primary school student arguing with him.
"Why? I washed your pajamas yesterday!" Qin Gu shouted.
The students who had just entered looked at them with surprise.
Ruan Bei: "..."
Why say something like that in public?
He pushed open the door and practically fled; he really couldn't stay in this place any longer.
Qin Gu chased after them, and from beginning to end, he didn't give Song Jiaxi, who was standing aside watching them, even a glance.
The shop assistant was making milk tea for a customer when she looked up and saw the boy running out. The red string pendant on his backpack was exactly the same as the one on the backpack of the handsome boy from before.
She blushed for no apparent reason.
Song Jiaxi lowered her head, her report card crumpled in her hand.
My brother was laughing so happily just now...
It turns out he didn't dislike smiling; he just didn't like smiling at himself.
Ruan Bei picked out fruit at the fruit stand her mother frequented. Strawberries, her sister's favorite, were a must—after all, it was her birthday. Her mother liked soft, sweet bananas, and her father didn't have any particular preferences; he just didn't want durian.
Both of my uncles' families will be coming today. Aunt Ran overheard my second aunt mentioning it casually, and after finding out, she also said she wanted to come.
Ruan Bei bought a little bit of all the fruits that he knew people liked, and in the end, it all came up in a huge pile that couldn't fit in one big plastic bag, so he divided it into two bags.
Ruan Bei paid, and Qin Gu first picked up the bag. After Ruan Bei finished paying and reached out, Qin Gu handed him the lighter bag.
"Aren't you going to ask who that person was?" Ruan Bei suddenly asked.
Throughout the journey, he kept joking around and didn't ask a single question about Song Jiaxi.
Qin Gu said casually, "That admirer of Bai, right? He's not important. Why ask him?"
Ruan Bei stopped and looked at him with suspicion.
"What's wrong?"
Ruan Bei found it strange: "Your reaction is a bit off."
Based on his understanding of Kunkun, he wouldn't be so calm if he met someone who had bullied him in his past life.
Qin Gu looked away: "What's wrong with that? Didn't you say you didn't want to talk to them?"
"You're not going to do anything, are you?" Ruan Bei asked anxiously. "Let me tell you, he's really a lunatic. Lunatics can kill without breaking the law."
He wasn't worried about Kunkun retaliating against Song Jiaxi, but he was afraid that the madwoman Song Jiaxi would target Kunkun.
"Don't worry, don't worry, I didn't do it."
Qin Gu patted Ruan Bei's shoulder to comfort him: "I really didn't do it, it's just that I haven't had time yet."
He had originally planned to secretly slap a few bad luck charms on that annoying kid in a couple of days, so that he could get rid of his bad luck and stop getting in Xiao Bei's way all day long.
Ruan Bei breathed a sigh of relief; it was good that they hadn't made a move yet.
"Don't worry about him. He'll be taken away sometime this year, and then he won't have time to come find me."
Just as the Lu family looked down on him, the Song family also felt that Song Jiaxi was not presentable, so after he was taken back, he underwent a lot of training.
Qin Gu raised an eyebrow but didn't reply. Since Xiao Bei said that, he wouldn't take the initiative to find him. But if he ran into Xiao Bei again and bothered him, then he shouldn't blame him.
The two went upstairs, and Ruan Bei took out his key to open the door. As soon as he pushed it open, everyone in the room who was talking noisily looked at him.
The Ruan family's house was small, and the living room was not very big either. The two young men who had moved stools to sit on one side immediately got up to take the things from Ruan Bei's hands.
One was his older cousin, Ruan Dong, and the other was someone he also knew, Yin Zhuo, the top bodyguard of the Ran family.
His second cousin, Ruan Nan, was studying at a university in another city and couldn't come back, but his eldest cousin delivered the gift.
Ruan Bei started greeting people as soon as he entered, calling out "godmother" and "elder cousin," and Qin Gu followed suit. He didn't call her "godmother" at all, but he had always called her that since he was a child, just like Ruan Bei.
Ruan Bei's uncles helped in the kitchen. Normally, when a family invites guests, the female relatives would take the initiative to help with things like washing and chopping vegetables.
However, since the head chef of the Ruan family was Ruan's father, it wouldn't be appropriate for his two sisters-in-law to squeeze in, so the Ruan brothers simply took turns cooking.
Fortunately, none of the three Ruan brothers were particularly chauvinistic. They believed that cooking was a woman's job, and while they weren't particularly skilled cooks, they were all capable of doing it.
They were busy inside, while outside, Mrs. Ruan was entertaining guests—though there was really no need for that, as they were all very close relatives.
The only person I wasn't very familiar with was Yin Zhuo. He drove Madam Ran over and helped carry the gifts to her door. The hospitable Ruan family invited him to stay as a guest.
Ruan Bei put down his schoolbag and sat down. Yin Zhuo immediately gave him a look of relief and sat down next to Ruan Bei. Qin Gu sat down on the other side of Ruan Bei without saying a word.
"What's wrong with you?" Ruan Bei asked with amusement.
Yin Zhuo wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead and, while Ruan Dong was being sent to wash fruit by his aunt, secretly complained to Ruan Bei: "Your brother is terrifying. He stared at me like I was a criminal. What does he do? Is he a cop? He doesn't look like one."
"No, that's not it. My older cousin studied architecture and is an architect. But why is my brother keeping an eye on you?"
"How would I know?" Yin Zhuo was also puzzled: "I haven't offended him."
Just then, Ruan Dong brought over some washed fruit, and Ruan Bei immediately pulled him over and asked directly, "Brother, why are you staring at Brother Zhuo?"
Yin Zhuo: "..." Is it that direct?
Ruan Dong poked him with a finger, annoyed: "You little idiot, ask him!"
Ruan Bei covered his forehead, looking completely innocent: "Brother Zhuo said he didn't know, and I'm not a fool."
Ruan Dong's sharp gaze swept over Yin Zhuo: "You don't know? Last Saturday, you and Xixi were eating outside her school, weren't you?"
Asking a girl out for dinner late at night is one thing, but to go for spicy hot pot is quite another. If he were just an ordinary poor student, it wouldn't be a big deal, but he dressed up so well, yet he couldn't even afford to treat her to a proper meal. Is his girlfriend that easy to fool?!
Before Yin Zhuo could speak, Ruan Bei exploded: "Why are you eating with my sister?!"
It's been so long since his sister hitched a ride with Yin Zhuo; there's no need to wait until now to invite her to dinner.
Moreover, his sister is beautiful and has had boys pursuing her since high school. However, perhaps because she was a female tyrant when she was young, she sees all boys her age as weaklings and has to consider whether they can beat her.
Actually, ever since boys started puberty, his sister could no longer use her height and agility, which are typical of girls, to make boys cry. But later on, no boy was foolish enough to fight her, so Ruanxi still believed that no one could beat her.
Unfortunately, she doesn't like tall, strong men with bulging muscles. She's never been in a relationship, and of course, she won't just have dinner alone with a guy at night.
Yin Zhuo: "...It was your sister who invited me."
Ruan Dong: "What? You want Xixi to treat you to a roadside stall?"
He and Ruan Bei couldn't control their volume, attracting the attention of the ladies. Ruan's mother and two sisters-in-law carefully observed and sized them up. Madam Ran said disapprovingly, "Azhuo, you can't be so stingy when you're in love. When Yusheng was pursuing me, he didn't even have enough money for food, but he still remembered to buy me flowers."
"Is your salary not enough? How about we give you a raise?"
"No, it's enough, it's enough... This..." Yin Zhuozhen broke out in a cold sweat: "This is a long story."
Ruan Bei crossed his arms and sneered, "Then tell me slowly."
I just wanted my sister to hitch a ride, I never expected you to date her.
Yin Zhuo: "..."
"Say it, isn't this an explanation?" Ruan Bei looked at Yin Zhuo with a gaze that had gone from one of admiration for a master to one of a pig eyeing his own pretty little cabbage.
Yin Zhuo had a headache. He remembered the girl pleading with him, her hands clasped together, not to reveal what happened that day, especially to her family. He felt he couldn't bring himself to speak.
He looked up and saw a room full of people staring at him menacingly.
It's so hard for him, really.
He would rather face ten armed thugs alone than be caught in this dilemma.
Alright, I'm beholden to them, so I should at least eat a bowl of spicy hot pot for them.
Yin Zhuo, in despair, said, "I have nothing to say."
Ruan Bei's face turned red with anger, and he felt extremely regretful. How could he have been so greedy for a moment's convenience and ended up hurting his sister?
"Don't be angry, don't be angry." Qin Gu kept a close eye on Ruan Bei and immediately advised when he saw something was wrong: "Let's wait for your sister to come back and see what she has to say. Let's not rush things."
“That’s right, Kunkun is right. Xiaobei, go check on how your dad’s cooking is going, and while you’re at it, give Xixi a call to urge her on.” Ruanxi has an internship recently and is being used as free, cheap labor, keeping her busy every day.
After sending her son away, Mrs. Ruan looked at Yin Zhuo with eager eyes: "Zhuo, right? Come, come, have some fruit. Tell Auntie, how did you meet our Xixi?"
Unlike Ruan Bei, who guards against men with "malicious intentions" around her sister, Ruan's mother is quite worried. She was a tyrant when she was young, but now she looks gentle and quiet, though she hasn't changed at all.
Last year during Chinese New Year, she overheard her daughter telling her son that the boy who was pursuing her probably couldn't withstand a punch from her.
Xiao Bei was still laughing, but Ruan's mother almost fainted. "The boy is pursuing you, look at his character, appearance, and talent, go and date him! Why do you always think about hitting him!"
Now there's finally a sign!
Judging from what Ah Xin said, it was her bodyguard. Bodyguards are great! Her Xixi definitely couldn't beat him.
Other families worry about their daughters being bullied when they get married, but in this family, she's afraid that one day her daughter will beat up her son-in-law.
Author's Note:
Yin Zhuo: Really, I didn't have any ideas at first, you guys forced me into it (not really).
Hahaha, I want my sister to have a boyfriend who can fight alongside her and is willing to give in to her.
Regarding majors, I've been thinking about it, and Kunkun definitely wants to be in the same major as Xiaobei; he told me that!
Several popular options:
I studied law myself, and I deeply regret choosing that major; I was out of my mind. I'm sure it will ruin my son's future.
Doctor, to borrow a cute comment from the comment section, advising someone to study medicine is like being struck by lightning. Being struck by lightning isn't the worst thing, it's just that you might not have time for dating.
There are also recommendations for electrified systems, hahaha I can't forget the telephone poles!
There's also an archaeology major in the history department, which should be relatively more relaxed, right? The idea of being able to legitimately use ritual implements and talismans is really appealing to me. Suddenly, I'm imagining Xiao Bei's graduation thesis on the historical transmission of peach wood swords—that seems interesting, hahaha!
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